Chapter 12
A few moments after Kate went off to the kitchen, Rick followed, stepping up behind her at the sink as she was rinsing their dinner dishes to be washed, and bracing his arms against the counter at her either side.
"I really am sorry," he said, and punctuated the apology with a kiss to the exposed skin of the back of her neck.
A sigh nearly escaped her lips with the sensation of it, with the striking effect on her body such a simple gesture elicited when delivered by his. More than that, the very nearness of him did something to her. It played her like a string, and it always had, even at the beginning of the beginning.
Kate canted her head, a touch was all, in hopes he'd leave another, and he read her silent cue perfectly, responding without hesitation, as if they'd rehearsed the scene a hundred times before.
"I know you are, Castle, but you really don't have to be. You didn't do anything," she assured him once more, spinning to face him while he remained firm in her space.
His eyes flicked to her lips because hers did to his. It was a dance he relished, too.
"Yeah, I can definitely think of two things I didn't do. I didn't make us omelets that were edible, for one."
She giggled over it. "Maybe not, but your toast was excellent." She lifted onto her toes, tickled the tip of his nose with hers. "What's the second thing?"
"Oh, it's far worse, I'm afraid. You stripped naked and got into the shower with me this morning, and I never told you that how beautiful you are when you've just woken up puts sunrises to shame."
For that, Kate looped the dish towel that was hanging over her shoulder around his neck, gripped it at both ends, and kissed him thoroughly. "As much as I want to take you into the bedroom right now and show you just how forgiven you are for the egg thing, we're not finished talking yet. I meant it, Castle. I'm not letting you leave until we are."
"As luck would have it, I do some of my best talking in the bedroom," Rick submitted to no avail. "Fine." He backed off with an overdone scowl, and she pushed herself up onto the counter to sit.
"Rick, you do get how hard this is for me, too, right, being away from you? It still feels like a part of me is missing every day when I'm at work and you aren't there. Never mind how much lonelier it feels now to come home afterward to an empty apartment and an empty bed. I know it's not the same, but at least you have Martha and Alexis there with you. I don't have anyone."
He crossed back to her and nudged himself between her knees, glided his hands along the tops of her thighs and stilled them there.
"I'm a jerk. No, it's true. I am," he continued against an objection Kate didn't make, which quietly struck her adorable. "I'm a selfish jerk. I shouldn't have dumped all of that on you earlier. Of course, I understand how hard it is for you. Only being able to see me a couple of weekends across months must be pure torture."
When a smile took over her face, so one did his.
"Oh yeah, it's a miracle I can still function at all," she gibed. Her tone then made a definitive shift. "I like the work I'm doing here, Castle. I like working for Jordan. It's different than it was at the NYPD. Maybe it was the system, I don't know, but she pushes me in a way Montgomery and Gates didn't, and from day one she's treated me like an equal even though that's not what I am. I'm not saying there isn't a chance I won't think differently in a week or a month, but I want to give this time to see where it could go, where it could lead."
Her hands found his.
"We can't change that my job's here or that Martha and Alexis are there, and right now that means what it means, but I promise you, Castle, I'll work harder to find more time. I promise."
Rick relaxed into her, snugged his head into the crook of her neck. "All the incredible work you've done to get here. I would never expect you to walk away, certainly not for me, not unless you were sure that's what was best for you. It just means you're going to have to put up with my whining about how much I miss you."
"You say it like you aren't worth walking away for. Castle, you're more important to me than any job. I don't care what it is or how much I like it." She tapped him beneath the chin. "Hey, listen. I know what I can and can't live without, and even though I also know you'd never ask me to choose, you aren't something I can or ever want to live without."
Courtesy of the generous scoop of her top, he brushed his lips across the scar she now kept hidden from everyone but him, and it awed him again, as it always did, her gift of such exquisite trust.
"I sometimes wonder where we'd be right now if I'd told you that I loved you right when I knew it," he said.
"Oh, yeah? And when was that?"
"About five minutes after I met you." Kate sputtered out a laugh. "Okay, maybe it was ten. You know how we writers are. We embellish."
"I'm sure that isn't true, Castle, but if you had told me that you loved me after ten minutes, you would've had to figure out a way to bring Derrick Storm back from the dead, because there sure as hell wouldn't have been any Nikki Heat."
Rick stood up tall. "Imagine such a meaningless world as one without Nikki Heat. Cruel. Just out of curiosity, since we're talking about it, when did you know you loved me?"
He was as predictable as he was beautiful, she thought as she rolled her eyes.
"You really think you deserve to hear my secrets after you burned my eggs?"
"I did do that, yes, so I suppose that's a fair question, though there was that whole sunrise compliment I thought had won me back a few points." His lips puckered in thought. "Okay, how about if I add a cherry to that sundae by promising to kiss you in that place you like to be kissed before I go? That's one secret I already know. Would you agree to spill then?"
Kate locked her knees around his hips. "I'm a big fan of cherries," she grinned. "I think I kinda like the terms of this deal."
"Not as much as I'm going to," Rick replied under his breath. "Come on then. Unburden yourself, Secret Agent. See what I did there?" he asked wholly impressed with himself.
Her body softened with the reflection, and along with it her expression.
"It was exactly when I should've hated you the most. That was when I knew."
"It doesn't say a lot about me that I have to ask you to be more specific, does it?"
"When you came to me and told me that you dug into my mom's murder, I wanted to hate you for it, but I couldn't, and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself it wasn't because you'd already found a way in, I knew it was different. I knew you were different." She caressed his cheek. "We're going to figure this out, Castle. We've gotten this far. We'll find a way to make this work."
"Yeah," he said and hugged her in close. "We'll find a way."
xxxx
Rick thought about it from the moment he left Kate's apartment until he arrived back in New York that early evening. It was the only thing he thought about, the only thing he could, and by the time his plane landed at JFK, he'd decided precisely how he was going to make it work.
There was just one thing he had to do first, and it was a big thing.
"I'm in line outside the terminal for a cab," he informed Martha by phone as he waited. "If Alexis isn't already there, would you call her and ask her to come home for dinner? I need to talk to you both. Tell her it's important."
"Of course, I'll call her, yes. Is something wrong, Richard?"
"Everything's fine, Mother." She said nothing, but he could hear her relief, nonetheless. "You guys decide what you want to eat. Doesn't matter to me. Order it and have it delivered. I should hopefully be there in an hour."
From the cab, as the sun crawled toward the horizon behind the distant skyscrapers, he sent a text to Kate to let her know he got back safely. "Flight was fine. On my way home now. This city really is art," he typed, tearing his gaze from the panorama outside his window, "but it doesn't feel the same without you in it."
He didn't feel the same either.
"Not to worry, darling, I'm sure she'll be here any minute. She offered to pick up our feast along the way," Martha explained of Alexis's absence. "I hope you're not opposed to sushi." Rick gave her a peck on the cheek in greeting. "How was your weekend with Katherine? It must've been quite a special reunion after your little visit snafu."
"It was, yeah. It was-"
Martha threw her arms open when Alexis came walking through the door, cut short his thought. "There's our girl, and she comes bearing delicious treats." The trio exchanged hellos and hugs, and then moved to the dining table to eat. "So, Richard, don't keep us gals in suspense any longer. Why the impromptu family meeting? What's this important business of yours?"
"This better be good, Dad," Alexis chimed in with a nip of attitude. "I had to cancel my other dinner plans for tonight at the last minute. Yes, with my boyfriend," she confirmed when he slid disagreeable eyes her way.
"Gosh, I'm all broken up about that, Alexis," he ribbed and earned a flick on the arm from Martha. "Helpful, Mother, thank you. The reason I wanted to talk to you together is because I did a lot of thinking about something today, a lot of thinking, and I've come to a decision that's going to affect you both."
The ladies shared a look, brief and curious.
"I know you said not to worry, Richard, but you're making it difficult."
"A decision about what, Dad?"
"You know how much I love you both. Mother, having you here hasn't always been easy, but I'm sure Alexis would agree when I say that she and I are better today for it, and that we wouldn't have traded the time with you for anything. And Alexis, I know it wasn't initially what you wanted, but you choosing to go to school at Columbia and to stay here in the city made me the happiest father on the planet. Really, the happiest and the proudest."
With the little he'd said, Martha already understood what was to come, and with it, the tenseness of her posture eased as she sank back into her chair.
"But I love Kate, too, more than I have words to describe, and it's killing me that she's where she is and I'm here. Only having these few days when we're trying to start this new chapter together is…it's too hard. It's too hard to keep saying goodbye."
"So, what are you saying?" Alexis asked.
Rick turned to Martha, saw the subtle nod she intended him to.
"I'm saying, Alexis, that I want to get a place in D.C., and that I want to try living there instead of in New York. Nothing here would change," he added without pause. "This place will always be your home. Always. Mother, yours too. Whenever you need it, it'll be here for you. The same goes for me. Whenever you need me, I'll be here.
"Kate gave up a lot for that job. My job is easy. I can write books from anywhere. I just want my anywhere to be where she is right now. I want her to know that she and our being together are important enough that I'm willing to give up a lot, too."
"Well, I for one think it's a lovely idea, darling, and you have my full support, whatever you'd like to do," Martha spoke up first. "I wish you kids every happiness. Sure, we'll miss seeing that smiling face of yours every day, but one must follow their heart when it lights a path with fire."
He gave his hand, and she took it. "Thank you, Mother." He pivoted to his daughter. "Alexis?"
"Does this mean I can have parties here now?"
Rick pretended to think on it for all of two seconds. "You know, they say the only stupid question is the one not asked. This feels like the perfect occasion for an asterisk."
"Wait, so, you're abandoning me to go shack up with your girlfriend hundreds of miles away, but I'm not allowed to have a few friends over?" His mouth opened but nothing came out. "I'm just kidding, Dad," she snickered, and Martha joined in. "If living in Washington with Beckett is going to make you happy, then that's where you should be."
"Clearly you forgot that I'm the only one who's allowed to make jokes around here." He reached for her hand with his other. "Thank you, Alexis. It will. I promise, though, I'll come up and visit all the time. I'll come up so much, you'll hardly even know I left."
"And here I was already daydreaming about all the shindigs I was going to throw. Gatsby would've been proud," Martha sighed in jest. "What's the plan then, hmm? When's this big move for love going to get moving?"
A smile tugged at the corners of Rick's mouth.
"Tomorrow," he said.
xxxx
Because he got a later start on the road than he hoped and didn't arrive in D.C. until after many of its evening's commuters had already returned home, Rick wound up having to settle for a parking spot three blocks from Kate's apartment and walk over.
Locked in the trunk of the Mercedes he'd only ever driven as far as his house in the Hamptons, he left a couple of suitcases of clothes, his laptop, a stack of favorite books he liked to keep near at hand, and a proper coffee machine, which he made a point of buying in New York before he left. With him, though, he carried just one thing.
It was during the pitstop he made for that one thing that he was able to stealthily confirm Kate was also home from work for the night, giving his plan a green light to proceed. She had no idea he was in her city and couldn't possibly suspect so, not after he'd just left her the day before, and the secret of it all put a bounce in his step.
Unlike his previous attempt at the game of surprise, this one, he was sure, was on track to come off without a hitch.
When he reached the steps outside her building, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
"Hey, handsome," she answered after a single ring, her voice low and honeyed.
"Hey, yourself. What are you wearing right now?"
"Gee, Castle, you sure know how to romance a girl."
He turned and sat at the edge of the top step. "All in good time, Katherine. Right now, I have a delivery guy outside your building. He says the call box isn't working. Are you decent enough to go down and meet him?"
"I guess, yeah. What did you do, Castle?"
"You'll see," he said and hung up.
Within a minute, Rick heard the metal door creak open, but he held still, waited, the shuffle of Kate's slippered feet eventually stopping beside him.
"Delivering myself to your doorstep is damn romantic, I'd say. Lucky you're so sexy when you're sarcastic or I might've taken offense." Rick angled his head and trailed his eyes up her body. "I'd also say decent doesn't even come close to describing how you look. Hi."
"Castle, what the heck is going on?" she asked as he gathered up his grocery bag and stood. "What are you doing here?"
"I suppose the short answer is that as of about ten minutes ago I live here." Her expression read precisely what the revelation called for. "Here is where you are," he went on earnestly. "Where you are is where I want to be."
"Hang on. I'm sorry, Castle, maybe I'm not following. You live here, as in…?"
Rick paused when someone came out of the building and passed, which kindly offered Kate a second to breathe.
"As in I left here yesterday and figured it out, Kate, how I could make this work, so here I am, with a few things in my car and this." He handed her the bag and she peeked inside, smiled. "I've waited my entire life for you, to love you and to be able to show you how much, every day. I don't want to wait anymore, not another month, or week, or minute. We deserve not to have to wait anymore, and I can make that happen."
"What about your mom and Alexis? You can't just-"
"Are you kidding?" he cut in. "Those two could hardly get me out the door fast enough so they could start planning all the wild parties they're going to throw at the loft without me there."
"That doesn't sound like Alexis," Kate retorted, and amused by the insinuation he gave her a nod for it.
"Look, the three of us had a long talk about everything last night, and they understand why I need to do this. They really do. They want me to be happy, and they know my happiness is you." He stepped into her, drew his hands around her waist and fastened them at the back. "You had to leave things, too. Important things, people. I want to do this for us. Let me."
Kate hung the bag around her wrist and then her arms over his shoulders.
"I love you so much, and I'd say I can't believe you did this, but I can. Thank you isn't enough. But thank you." She kissed his lips sweetly, more than once. "I just hope your girlfriend doesn't fire me when she finds out," she teased.
"Ooh! Tell her I'll write her in when Nikki takes a federal gig in my next Heat book, make her look totally badass. Kidding, I'm kidding," he chuckled when she tugged playfully on his hair. "Mostly."
Even in the shadows he caught the glare.
"I haven't eaten yet. Are you hungry?" She opened the bag a second time. "You brought me all these eggs. The least I can do is offer to cook them for us since you suck at it."
"Gee, Beckett, you sure know how to romance a guy." He batted his lashes at her. "And I accept. Incidentally, I can't wait to hear what you're going to offer to do when I show you the place in Georgetown I found online that I'm going to buy for us."
As Kate headed back toward the door, the bizarro mishmash of furniture that lived upstairs with her promptly flashed across her mind and she stopped, turned back over her shoulder.
"You find that listing by the time we get upstairs, Castle, and we might just be having dessert before dinner tonight."
"Oh, I'm going to like it here so much," he whispered to the sky and bounded up the stairs after her.
XX
My gratitude and wishes of health and happiness to those of you who stuck with me and found your way to the end of this word jumble of mine. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your *insert applicable season*. Perhaps we'll meet again sometime on down the road.
And another special note of thanks to Vala for initially seeing the prompt that inspired this story and, to my great surprise, thinking of me. The challenge was a fun one.
Stay well out there,
KMB
